Trust Your Instincts
by KameNoKetsu
Summary: The sky is blue, water is wet, and Ness hates Ninten's guts. Those are facts that are as plain and obvious as they can be for anyone who knew those two. However, Ness will realize that he can't keep up that charade forever as he comes to terms with his feelings. Ness POV, NessXNinten (yep) Rated T because I'm a potty mouth and so is everything I write. D:
1. Chapter 1: Trust your Instincts, But

**Author's Note:**

 **Hello there. This here is probably one of the very few fanfics focused on Ness/Ninten out there. I usually don't write slash fics, but I noticed a marked lack of content for this pairing and I think it's cute enough to warrant at least ONE multi-chaptered fanfic. Someone had to do it lol**

 **Anyway, I'll shut up and let you guys read. Please don't forget to rip on me for shit writing- I mean, share your thoughts on this story. :)**

* * *

Chapter 1

It was 4 o'clock in the afternoon when Mom took me to the playground today. I could tell because I could now read the small clock on the car's dashboard. For a while now, Mom started taking me out to the playground to play after kindergarten while she spoke with some man in a dark suit and a grim expression. I didn't like that man very much — Mom always argued and pleaded with him and looked tired all the time, especially with her tummy growing so big.

Dad wasn't around lately and didn't come home for a few weeks. Usually he'd be busy all the time with work, and Mom always complained about it. The last time Dad called, I could her arguing with him from my room.

"Where's dad?" I asked, tugging at the hem of mom's skirt.

"Daddy can't come today honey," Mom said. I wondered why. I missed Dad so much.

"Go play sonny," the man said before I opened my mouth. "Your mom needs to deal with grown-up issues right now."

"That's right, sweetie," Mom said. "Play with the other children, will you?"

I bit the inside of my cheek. I knew Dad would make it all better. On the phone, he sounded confident and cheerful. Sometimes when Dad was home, Mom would talk to him with a fond smile on her face. I don't know why she wasn't interested in what I had to say.

Maybe Mom thought I was too chicken to play with the other kids. Of _course_ I wasn't afraid to face other children my age.

That's right. I am the most confident five-year-old in this playground!

I turned around, only this time the playground was swarming with rowdy kids. I felt my budding confidence waver, then spotted a familiar chubby boy in overalls sitting by the swings. It was our neighbor, Pokey Minch, who lived in a huge villa right next to my house, so I saw him almost every other day.

Pokey lifted his head when he noticed me approaching. His overly long bangs obscured his beady eyes, but I could sense the sour expression on his face.

"This park sucks," Pokey said in distaste once I came in earshot. I frowned at the bad word but gave Pokey a curious look. Pokey continued, "It's on the bad side of town."

"What do you mean?" I asked. "What bad side of town?"

"Look at it," Pokey waved a hand around. "It's run-down, it smells… I don't know why my parents dropped me off in this stinkhole to begin with."

I didn't feel convinced. I liked the playground but didn't want for Pokey to know. "How do you know it's on the bad side of town?" I asked, confused.

"I'm - um, I'm older than you," Pokey said. "So of course I'm right. You and I are living in the nice part of town. This park is on the bad side of town, and that's why it's terrible."

I looked away halfway through Pokey's speech. I noticed a pair of huddled little heads near the corner of the playground. Pokey noticed and followed my gaze to the two. He made a face at their simple clothes and the dirt on their faces.

"Oh, those look like they're from the bad side of town too," Pokey said. He tugged at my arm. "Come on, let's go somewhere else."

I ignored him and walked over to the two. Save for the stark contrast of hair color - one was golden blond and the other had fiery red hair - the two boys looked exactly alike, which piqued my curiosity.

"What are you doing?" I asked, trying to get a look at whatever the twins were looking at. The redhead looked up and placed a finger in front of his lips.

"Shhh. You'll scare it," he said in a whisper. I tilted my head in confusion.

"Scare what?" I said, also lowering my voice to a whisper. The blond placed his hands in front of a large, bushy looking caterpillar. It was black with a reddish-brown band in the middle.

"That's a woolly bear caterpillar," the redheaded boy explained, watching intently as the caterpillar creeped towards the other boy's outstretched hands. He nodded at the blond, "Lucas says its colors tell you if next winter will be really cold or not."

"Nuh-uh," I said, my eyes growing wide. "Really?"

"Yea-huh," the redhead replied. "Tell him, Lucas."

The blond boy, Lucas, let out a small squeak when the caterpillar crawled into his hands.

"Claus, it prickles!" Lucas giggled and stood up, carefully cradling the bug in his hands. The redhead, Claus, looked over his twin's shoulder with a grin already missing one of its front teeth.

"So?" he asked. "Tell me, does it say we'll have a snowy Christmas or not?"

Pokey saw the caterpillar in Lucas's hands and recoiled in disgust.

"Yuck, he's holding a worm!" Pokey said, pointing at the caterpillar. He slapped it out of Lucas's hold, causing it to disappear into a bush nearby. Lucas stared incredulously at his empty hands, then at Pokey, before he burst into tears.

"Pokey, no!" I cried out.

"Look what you've done!" Claus said. He shoved Pokey forcefully enough that Pokey lost balance and fell backwards.

"Aaah. Mom was right, you're all nasty!" Pokey wailed, then struggled to pick himself up. "Ness, do something!"

My gaze flicked between Pokey and a sobbing Lucas, then took a step away from Pokey, who threw me a scandalized look.

"You suck," he said, then stomped away from us. "I'm telling my mom!"

"Yeah. Go away, Porky!" Claus called after him. My lips curled at the nickname. It fit so well! I remembered the caterpillar that fell from Lucas's hands.

I searched through the woody bush where it fell. I winced when a sharp twig pricked my finger but sighed in relief when I found the caterpillar nestled below the branches, curled upon itself. Carefully, I picked the creature up and cradled it in my palms then turned towards the crying blond, whose twin placed a hand on his shoulder, seemingly at a loss.

"Come on, stop crying," Claus said. "It was just a stupid caterpillar."

Lucas only cried harder. I felt a twinge of guilt because Pokey followed me and disturbed whatever the two were doing. I approached the twins, presenting the insect in my hands.

"…I found it," I said. "It's alive."

The pair looked up. Claus's eyebrows rose up while Lucas wiped his eyes with the heels of his palms.

"You did?" Lucas hurried towards me and looked at the caterpillar. He grinned, despite his red nose and tear-stained cheeks. "Oh, thank you, thank you!"

My chest swelled with pride. I hated seeing Lucas cry, especially since it was kind of my fault.

"Thanks kid," Claus said. "What's your name?" he asked as Lucas carefully took the caterpillar from my hands into his own.

"I'm Ness," I said, extending a hand. Dad always said gentlemen shake hands with people they meet. Claus shook it. "Nice to meet you," I added.

"Er, nice to meet you too," Claus said, giving me a tight grin. "I'm Claus, and this crybaby here is my little brother Lucas."

"I'm not!" An indignant flush tinted Lucas's cheeks as he stammered. I chuckled at the two. We played until Mom decided to pick me up and go home. I waved goodbye at the twins and promised to meet them later at the park.

When the phone rang in the evening, I shot out of the sofa and made a mad dash to the end table where the phone rested. 'DAD!' I screamed while Mom watched with a bemused expression. I fumbled with the handset and almost dropped it, before lifting it to my ear with both hands. True to my expectation, Dad spoke on the other side.

"Hey kiddo," I heard him say with a chuckle. A grin crossed my face. Whenever dad called, he'd ask me if I've been doing my job as the 'man of the house'. I felt proud he trusted me to take care of Mom while he was away, but I didn't want to ask why he didn't come home, especially with Mom watching. I told him instead about the twins I met today, and how Pokey made Lucas cry. I asked him if I should stay friends with Pokey or befriend the new twins.

"I can't tell you what to do," Dad said. "You have to decide that for yourself, Ness. Who do you think you want to be friends with?"

I paused, thinking briefly before I answered, "Lucas and Claus."

"Right," Dad said. "It's your decision, so own it and trust your instincts."

Mom gently tapped my shoulder and gestured for me to hand over the phone. Her mouth fell into a thin line when she lifted the phone to her ear. I quietly ducked under her elbow and trudged to my room.

 _'Trust your instincts.'_

Huh. I think that is actually a good idea.

* * *

The day after was the last time I saw dad at home.

Mom and Dad made me sit on the couch between them. Mom took my hand and Dad placed a hand on my shoulder. They kept it simple: "Mommy and Daddy have been thinking," they began, and explained that Dad will live on his own from now on, but I could see him every now and then. I was naïve enough not to fully grasp the whole concept of 'divorce' until much later when Tracy was born and Dad never showed up to see her until a whole month afterwards.

Nevertheless, I followed Dad's advice to the letter.

It all comes down to first impressions. I liked to put everyone I'd met into a tidy little mental catalog. I took solace in the idea of slapping a label or two onto the people I knew. Lucas and Claus? I like them, so we became inseparable friends ever since. Pokey? (Everyone calls him Porky now) He weirded me out, so I distanced myself from him as I watched him become an all-around unpleasant bully.

I'd say that now that I'm 13, my intuition, however judgemental, worked well so far.

But whenever I saw _that_ kid, so many strange, unflattering and downright unsettling thoughts swished within my mind. The idea of not having a particular label for that one person made me feel uneasy. I eventually interpreted those thoughts as hate, and I acted upon that.

It first began on the first day of school after winter break.

I've had a thoroughly rotten morning. I walked into class, late and already seething after hearing an earful from the teachers for oversleeping. I wanted nothing but to sulk and look out the window from my familiar seat at the back of the class next to Lucas. Instead, I saw a new student sitting on the desk that I had already claimed for myself last semester, while Lucas was nowhere to be seen. I stood at the door with my mouth agape. My stomach twisted unpleasantly as I furrowed my eyebrows at the lookalike of me sitting in _my_ desk.

As I walked towards the occupied seat, I began to pick out the obvious differences.

For one, that kid wore a blue-and-yellow rugby shirt and a red baseball cap similar to mine, but the hat looked ratty and a size too big. He had the same inky black hair, although choppier and much straighter than my own curly locks. I found myself looming over the new kid's seated form.

While I was tanned and stocky, the newcomer was stick-thin and pale. The boy looked up, mahogany eyes locked with my own cobalt ones.

I couldn't shake the weird feeling in my chest as the boy gave me an unsure smile. I suppressed the sudden emotion and frowned.

"Can I help you?" The boy said after a brief silence.

"That's… That's my seat," I finally said, pointing to the desk. I inwardly cringed at the squeaky way my voice came out.

"Oh. My bad. No one told me it's taken already," the boy said, smile turning into a smirk. It started to get on my nerves.

Luckily, the boy stood up and gathered his things off the table. I noticed that the new kid was just a tad shorter than I was despite being one of the smaller kids myself. I ignored the thought, choosing instead to glare after the other boy as he walked towards the only other empty seat at the front, next to a white-haired boy nobody talked to. I plopped down on my reclaimed desk and dropped my bag with a sour expression crossing my face. For some reason, I absolutely hated that smirk. It felt condescending, and I couldn't shake the impression that it was mocking me.

The new kid was called Ninten. Apparently his actual name was Ken, but his sisters used to call him Ninten when they were little and he insisted on going by the pet name. I won't admit paying particular attention when Ninten said that during roll call, but I kept that detail in mind anyway.

To everyone else, he was a plain, uninteresting sight. The collective attention span of the classroom practically gave him a few minutes at most, before it shifted to other topics. After all, he was just a new addition to the dozen other kids in the room. I, however, practically fed off the sight of him. I spent the entire first period watching intently as Ninten chatted up a storm with the reclusive nerd next to him. I didn't acknowledge someone's attempts at getting my attention until a hand waved in front of my face.

I snapped out of my trance-like state and looked up towards the worried blond next to me.

"Oh. Hey Lucas," I said. "When did you get here?"

"Just now," Lucas said, then tilted his head to the side. "What's up? You were totally spacing out. Are you okay?"

I nodded and waved him off halfheartedly with a grunt. Lucas shrugged and busied himself with his notebook, while I resumed watching the new kid. It seemed that Ninten's nerdy seat-mate (Lloyd, if I remembered right) was already warming up to him. I felt bad for Lloyd for not having any friends, but I disliked Ninten's friendliness to him. A small part of me recoiled at the bitter thoughts, but then justified that Ninten's budding friendship with the nerd had an ulterior motive. Maybe a way to slack off while the poor nerd did his homework.

It took little time for my unfounded dislike of Ninten to morph into absolute, unconditional loathing. Soon, I had learned ways to make that hatred known. Whether by pushing, hurling insults, name-calling or spreading rumors.

Putting Ninten down gave me an intensely addictive rush of power. That rush was followed quickly by a rapid comedown, and an overpowering craving for more. It didn't help that Ninten never took abuse lying down. For every remark I made, Ninten always had an equally biting reply in return.

It was hate at first sight, and it was a thrill to know the hate was returned.

By now, our rivalry has become common knowledge. Frustratingly, despite my ceaseless efforts, it almost never turned physical. Whenever things got too heated, Ninten would simply back off and walk away no matter how I taunted him.

* * *

I got used to waking up to see Mom already on the phone arguing. Whether they may be lawyers, debt collectors, her boss or even occasionally a pissed Lardna Minch trying to get us to evict from 'her property' despite us having paid off that stupid debt in full with interest. Whenever a phone argument happens, I know that morning is ruined for certain. Even after Mom hung up and gave us a tired smile, a heavy, sour air lingered in the house.

Tracy sat at the kitchen table, munching her cereal. I sat opposite from her and emptied the cereal box into a huge salad bowl. I ignored Tracy's protest as I poured milk and threw her a brief glare when she muttered 'Fatty' under her breath. I love my little sister but when in a foul mood, a guy's gotta eat.

Mom took off to drop off Tracy to school on her way to work, while I dragged myself to school as if a raincloud hovered over my head. I made my way through the busy corridor, looking for a familiar lick of bright blond hair. Soon enough, a smile found its way to my face when I found it by the far end of the main corridor. Lucas sucked at being inconspicuous, thanks to his lanky height.

My smile instantly vanished, replaced by a scowl when I saw Lucas talking to _him_. It was easy to forget that Lucas could befriend the devil if he wanted, but that didn't mean I couldn't get possessive over him. I was his oldest friend, after all. I watched Lucas laughing while Ninten looked up at him with a warm smile.

That smile took my undivided attention as I approached them. It was stunning, and such a drastic difference from the usual sardonic expression he put on whenever I was in sight. I announced my presence with a feigned cough. Lucas turned to face me while Ninten plastered on that insufferable smirk.

"Hi," Lucas said, waving a hand timidly.

"Oh, speak of the devil!" Ninten said, then gave me a mocking half-bow while pointing at Lucas with an overt flourish. "I should go. He's all yours."

I watched him leave with a frown. I rolled my eyes then began to move towards my locker, but the tall blond fell into step beside me in one stride. I cursed being so short and befriending a beanstalk of a guy.

"Why were you talking to him?" I said, still glaring ahead. "You really don't want to be seen with that guy."

"Oh come on, Ness." Lucas crossed his arms. He leaned against the locker next to mine. "Ninten's actually pretty awesome once you get to know him."

"You think everybody's awesome."

"No, I don't. I really mean it, he's actually pretty cool."

"Cool? Please. He looks like a character out of a Peanuts comic," I said, turning the dial. "Not to mention the people he hangs out with. He became best buds with that recluse weirdo with a creepy obsession with guns."

Lucas blinked. "And you're 'best buds' with a farm hick from a hillbilly town in Nowhere," he said flippantly, pointing at himself.

"That's not what I meant!" I said, my cheeks reddening.

"Whatever. Actually, we were talking about you before you showed up."

"Yeah, figured as much." I pursed my lips as I stuffed my backpack inside the locker.

"Nothing bad, I promise," Lucas said. "He told me he's a fan of the San Francisco Giants, so I said that you're a big fan too."

"What does _he_ know about the Giants?"

"Ninten's like, a huge baseball buff. He knows about baseball almost as much as you do."

"Uh huh. Any other juicy gossip?" I asked testily as I slammed the locker shut.

"He said he watched you play the other day," Lucas, bless his heart, rambled on as he followed me. "He said he's kinda jealous of how well you played. I told him about that time you—"

I tuned out Lucas as we made our way to class. I couldn't help but feel somewhat flattered. I wondered what Ninten thought exactly about my style of play. Eventually, my thoughts wandered to other topics, like what kind of food Ninten liked, whether he liked the same music or shared the same interests that I had. It was like a sudden urge to know as much as possible about him, just so that I could pick out the similarities and differences between me and the other boy. I felt guilty for my curiosity, vowing myself never to make an effort to find out any detail about him.

* * *

 **I think I'll finish up next chapter and post it by New Year's. Merry Christmas, everyone. Also review please. Reviews sustain me be they positive or negative. :D**


	2. Chapter 2: A Treasure Trove of Insults

**Back again with another chapter. ˚ω˚ I wrote this while drinking enough to knock out a hippo. I went overboard with wine for New Year's Eve and I didn't want to see all the leftover good stuff go to waste haha. I had to edit out so many typos, but think I get more creative when halfway hammered. Enjoy this cabernet sauvignon-tinged chapter. :)**

 **Review Responses:**

 **Speen:** Thanks. :D I'm happy you like this pairing. Hope you've had an amazing holiday too.

 **Guest:** Thank you, Guest. It's what I'm here for - do crack fics lol. I'm glad you like this story so far.

 **Connor the speling pro:** Hi Connor! I got you to read my shipfic hooray. Thanks, and I don't mind criticism at all. It helps make me write less crappy fanfics haha. It makes sense to have Ness confused at Pokey's 'bad side of town' bit, so I edited the conversation in chapter 1. I get what you mean about the exclamation marks, all 15 of them in the previous chapter lol. It sounded better in my head if I put exclamation marks. "Pokey, no!" conveys dismay better than "Pokey, no." which sounds like a deadpan in my head. I cut down on the exclamation marks this time. I want to write Ness as a tunnel-visioned person in the sense that wouldn't really care about Ninten's friendship with Lucas or anyone else other than it irritates him. I should come up with a better explanation for 'I hate this kid' other than a gut feeling but yeah describing emotions and instinct is hard. :L

 **Filletmyingyawn492:** Hello and thanks. I'm really happy there's interest in NessTen. I hope I won't disappoint. :D

* * *

Chapter 2 - A Treasure Trove of Insults

Ninten joined baseball team soon after he'd transferred in.

Baseball was _my_ domain. When I was little, Dad taught me how to play and took me to Fourside to watch the games live instead of watching them on TV, and I grew up to be Onett's best player. I kept a little ritual for new players on the team, where I'd cue them up to bat then pelt them with fastballs. Sometimes the hapless idiots would run away after a couple pitches, fearing of eating a ball in the face.

I was horrified when I saw Ninten in the baseball team uniform. I had to give him a good reason to never come near the field again. The 'ritual' was a bit of a spectacle during practice. The seasoned kids would gather and watch as the next victim got bombarded. Today was no different, with Ninten standing in the middle of the batter's box as I made my way to the middle of the field.

I took a deep breath and faced Ninten.

"You get three tries," I shouted at him across the field. "If you're lucky you won't get hit in the teeth."

"Got it," he shouted back amidst the cackles of the teammates.

I narrowed my eyes at Ninten's textbook batting stance; bending at the waist and knees, elbow held up and back with the hands forming a perfect right triangle with his elbow. All that while his eyes fixated on me like a hawk. I glared back at him. Posture won't save him from getting absolutely demolished.

I wound up and aimed the ball straight at Ninten's face. Like a taut spring, he swung the bat and managed to hit the ball. My eyes widened as I watched the ball bouncing cleanly off his bat and up into the bleachers.

"Not bad," I gritted. It's okay. Sometimes the newbies lucked out. Ninten threw me his trademark smirk and reassumed his batting position. I launched the ball at him with every intent of wiping the smirk off his face.

 _Klang,_ he swung and barely managed to hit again. The ball arced upwards and landed at a point to his left. I clenched my teeth until the sides of my head hurt. I stuffed a hand into my pocket and tossed the ball up and down in the gloved hand as I bowed my head down. When I looked up, the smirk on Ninten's face has faltered, replaced by an intimidated look and an apprehensive rise in the shoulders. Good. He should be terrified.

I tossed the ball up one last time before catching it in midair. I immediately lifted up a leg then hurled the ball at Ninten, sending every bit of my frustration and contempt into that swing. The mere second that lapsed afterwards crawled by like an hour. I saw Ninten's eyes widen in panic for a fraction of a second before he brought down his bat with so much force his hat flew off his head as he lost balance. Color drained from my face when the bat caught the ball for the third time. The ball flew and lodged itself into the wire fence at the exact same moment Ninten fell to the ground.

The field was engulfed in stunned silence for a moment. Then the teammates erupted into murmurs. This was the first time a newcomer managed to hit all three of my pitches.

 _"…Whoa, new kid's real good…"_

 _"…We got another power hitter…"_

 _"…Looks like Ness met his match…"_

I felt like screaming with every single comment reaching my ears. Instead, I bit the glove off of my hand and spat it on the ground. Ninten sat up. He looked at the point where the last ball landed with an exhilarated grin. He stood and dusted himself off, before throwing a fist in the air and jumping around the field in celebration. I cast my head down and stared at the discarded leather glove as I felt the world around me spin.

In the locker room, everyone's rapt attention poured onto Ninten. They clapped his back and praised him as if he'd actually defeated me in a game rather than merely lucking out on three measly pitches. I ignored the crowd and turned around to pull on my normal clothes. Once fully dressed, I sensed someone standing behind me. I turned to see Ninten standing with his arms crossed. I felt my ears heat up. How long has he been standing there?

"What do you want?" I snapped, mirroring his posture.

Ninten wrung his hands. "I just wanted to say that I think you're real good," he said, finding a sudden interest in his fingers.

A brief moment passed where a confused frown drew on my face. Before I could reply, some of the team players walked past us. In the tight space of the room, Ninten had to inch towards me in order to let them pass. I pressed my back against the lockers when his shoulder brushed mine. Once the corridor cleared, he stepped back again, and I found it easier to breathe.

"Thanks," I said, not looking at him. "You're… not half-bad either."

He gave me a disarming smile, unexpectedly more cheerful than I'd ever seen him around me. He took my hand and shook it. "Good game, Ness. Thanks for the practice."

I stared at him with my lips slightly parted. Ninten's smile and my limp hand in his hold gave me goosebumps. I told myself it was probably disgust. I gave him a steely nod and walked past him.

Sportsmanship be damned. I still refuse for Ninten to be my equal.

Although I had to admit, as humiliating as it is… He _did_ have better skill than most of the dolts on my team.

* * *

The school had a track team alongside baseball. While our team had all the love and a dedicated baseball diamond, the running team mostly practiced around the school building or sometimes ran around the block. Claus was the best runner in school, and he liked to brag about being "the best in this part of Eagleland" despite belonging to an overshadowed and underfunded team.

Although Claus was all gangly limbs and carried himself with a slouch to hide his immense height, he could blaze across the school in mere seconds if he wanted. His current record stood at running 10 times around the block, totaling 3 miles in just over 18 minutes.

On Friday, I saw Claus warming up near the baseball field during PE, with none other than Ninten decked in the school's baseball uniform standing next to him. Ninten in _my_ baseball team's uniform still felt like an affront to the senses.

When I approached them, I noticed Claus had a cross expression on his face, anger showing through extra-rigorous exercise moves.

"What's up?" I said to Claus, ignoring Ninten's presence. The redhead stopped and turned to face me.

"Nobody's running today," he said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "They say it's too cold for running. It's _not_ , I tell you."

I recalled he only had a couple teammates and they flaked on him a lot. Although it was typically freezing for a winter day in Onett, it was uncharacteristically arid to the point of getting zapped with static on every metal doorknob.

"I tried asking Coach to have him run around the baseball field," Ninten said. I threw him a questioning glance. "But he said Claus better sit out for today because the baseball team has practice."

Claus grumbled and fumed as he resumed his stretching exercise.

I had a brilliant idea: "Okay. Ninten here will run with you today."

"Me?" Ninten said, pointing to himself. "But I don't do track."

"What?" I feigned surprise. "But you're supposed to run even in baseball. I can't have a guy who can't run on the team, you know."

Ninten frowned. "Who put you in charge?"

"I'm the team captain, you know." I puffed my chest. "And if you really can't run, I might have to get you benched."

"You can't do that," Claus said.

"Ninten's a solid batter, but if he can't prove he's a good runner then he's useless to me," I retorted. "Besides, don't you want a running mate?"

Ninten glared and puffed his cheeks in irritation. I bit down a grin. It was a dirty use of power, and the coach probably wouldn't kick Ninten out for me, but they didn't need to know that. He cast a quick glimpse at Claus, who looked at him with hopeful eyes.

"Fair enough." he balled his fists. "I'll run with Claus."

"You will? Sweet," Claus exclaimed and grabbed Ninten's hand. "Now that I have a training partner, I'm allowed to run around the block."

"Wait, what block?" I heard Ninten say as Claus dragged him away. I ignored the two and went to the field, a grin spreading across my face. I just hit two birds with one stone.

Halfway through practice, I heard a loud commotion at the school gate. I followed along the curious students to the gate, where we were met with the sight of a freaked out Claus hauling a hacking and wheezing Ninten on his shoulder. It soon escalated into a full-blown drama with an ambulance showing up and half the student body watching as paramedics hauled Ninten off in a stretcher.

Turns out Ninten had asthma, and running in this weather triggered an attack. Claus didn't pay much attention at first, attributing Ninten's labored breathing to the chilly air or that Ninten was out of practice. It wasn't until he collapsed and began to turn blue in the face when Claus finally took notice, luckily a short distance from the school. A rumor started somewhere that Claus had put Ninten in hospital on purpose, but it soon died down after everybody saw Claus, the biggest, toughest kid in school covering his face in horror, tears streaming down his cheeks as he stared after the ambulance carrying Ninten speeding away.

The next Monday, I sat next to Lucas in class as I told him about all the gnarly details of Friday's 'incident', even though he must have already known about it.

"I know," Lucas said tiredly. "Claus was there."

"Yeah, but have you seen his face? Ninten totally looked like a fish out of the water."

"That's an awful thing to say," he said with a frown. He was right, and I knew it. I did feel bad for Claus. It was the first time I've seen him so rattled since I've known him. In a way, it was my fault Ninten had an asthma attack, but I couldn't muster the will to care — I even found it funny. A feeble part of my mind told me such a reaction is too Porky-esque. Its voice drowned under the malicious joy of having Ninten leave the baseball team because of his condition.

Not to mention the treasure trove of potential demeaning comments and insults that lied ahead of me.

"Ooh, there he is," I said when Ninten walked in, looking more like a walking porcelain doll than usual. Lloyd accompanied him as the two went towards their seats.

"Oh, boy." Lucas rolled his eyes.

"Hey Ninten," I called. "Heard you had quite a _breathtaking_ experience the other day."

That earned me a few awkward chuckles around the classroom. This time, Ninten didn't bother with a reply, choosing instead to sit stiffly at his desk. His friend threw me an affronted look while Lucas groaned and hid his face in his hands.

"You guys gotta hand it to Ninten," I continued. "At least he's not a waste of breath."

"Ness…" Lucas said. I didn't acknowledge him through the laughter of the other classmates.

"Y'know, he breathes quite alright. Had he been a 100 year old— ** _ouch!_** "

Lucas grabbed the side of my thigh and pinched hard to shut me up before the teacher would walk in.

* * *

If I thought Ninten in baseball outfit felt like an affront to the senses, then Ninten sitting between Lucas and Claus felt like a punch in the gut.

I spotted the twins sitting on either side of him during lunch break. Lucas leaned on the table and propped his head on an elbowed arm while Claus placed a larger space between him and Ninten than Lucas, with a timid air about him. It would be hilarious to see Claus of all people shrinking away from another boy half his size if said boy wasn't Ninten.

I squeezed the sides of my tray as I stood right behind them. If looks could kill, Ninten would've died a dozen times over by now. I could hear them talking about something to do with Ninten singing. As I expected, Lucas got on Ninten's case.

"You really can sing?" Lucas said, a thrilled look in his eyes. "You gotta join the school choir."

Ninten rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't really sound that good."

"Aw, but we're desperate for new members. It won't hurt to just try out, you know."

Lucas continued wheedling Ninten into joining choir club. All that while the three didn't even notice me glaring holes through their backs. I turned and searched for the furthest table I could find away from them.

I found Porky sitting at the opposite side of the cafeteria with a smug grin on his face as he munched on the school's tasteless pizza. I dumped my tray on the table and unceremoniously plopped on the opposite bench. Two spaces away, so that I didn't look like purposely sitting with him.

"What is it?" I said, irritated at the content smirk Porky flashed me. He had the social aptitude of a four-year-old, so he ignored the attitude and space I rudely placed between the two of us.

"Oh, nothing." He chortled. "Just gave a little friend some color on his skin."

I quirked an eyebrow. Porky usually referred to his bullying victims as his 'friends'. I didn't understand what he meant with that color thing, but I didn't exactly want to know.

"Hey, hey. Guess what I found out?" he tapped my arm. My eyebrow remained raised.

"Do you know that Kumatora chick?" Porky continued. I nodded. "You know she said she knew those guys from the Tonda Gossa band?"

"You mean DCMC," I corrected. Kumatora was essentially the female Claus. Equally as tall, loud and boisterous, but I didn't talk to her as often as the twins. Lucas totally had a crush on her, and I teased him about it all the time. Incidentally, I noticed her unmistakable pink hair moving somewhere in the crowd within my peripheral vision.

"Right, those. Whatever." Porky waved an airy hand, then leaned over the table, a conspiring look in his beady eyes. "Do you know why she knows them?"

I shook my head as "No." Claus and Lucas might, but they were still busy kissing ass with Ninten. I shot a quick glance towards their direction. I still don't get what they saw in him.

"Her dad is their makeup artist," Porky said, eyes wide as if divulging state secrets.

I blinked, sending him a vacant look. "Okay?"

"That's not all." A huge grin spread across his face. "Her _other_ dad is the band's manager. Can you believe how messed up is that? She's got two dads!"

 _'That kinda sounds cool,'_ I thought. I bet Kumatora's dads wouldn't nag her to clean her room or finish her dinner all the time. Dad didn't back when he was home, so I failed to see Porky's point.

"Kumatora has queers for parents," Porky said then snorted. "Isn't that beyond fucked up?"

A familiar blue hoodie stood behind Porky as he continued on. I bit my hand and grimaced. Before I said anything, Kumatora slapped a hand on the back of Porky's meaty neck. My grimace turned into a cringe at the loud sound of flesh hitting flesh.

"You got a problem with me?" she said with a grave voice. She clenched her hand, forcing Porky to jerk his head upwards to meet the death glare she dispensed him. I decided it was time to bail. I quietly pushed my tray away, stood up and backed out. Luckily, Kumatora focused on tightening her Spock-like grip on Porky's neck. I didn't want to be seen with him while Kumatora made a scene, so I left the cafeteria and made a beeline to the staircase leading to the rooftop.

I took a deep breath and exhaled once I felt the chilly breeze on my face. I don't think Kumatora would find me here if she went after me. Being on the business end of her wrath would be a terrifying experience, which sucks for Porky. He was a pathetic bully, and everybody knew the fat turd sucked at fighting despite his enormous size. He'd only made one mistake throughout his entire career of bullying aside from today's snafu with Kumatora — that one time Porky tried making fun of a Dalaamian kid named Poo for his… rather ethnic name and tried to pull at his ponytail. Naturally, Poo utterly destroyed him.

That was why Porky often targeted those he knew they won't fight back. Like when Lloyd transferred to school, it was as if he was a made-to-order victim for Porky to rag on. A tiny, nearsighted nerd who never fought back and froze like a deer in headlights whenever Porky spotted him. I briefly thought of hanging around Porky at the times when he targeted that nerd, just in case Ninten jumped to his friend's defense. I sighed and shook away the thought. Being around Porky while he harassed those poor kids was hardly worth it.

I jumped when I heard the doorknob turn. I swore and backed away from sight just in case it was a teacher. I barely moved before a figure walked in, whom I immediately recognized as Ninten.

"What are you doing here? Beat it!" I shouted down towards Ninten, who flinched and snapped his head towards my direction. He had a concerned look on his face.

"I'm looking for Lloyd," Ninten yelled back, crossing his arms. "He always hides up here…" He froze mid-speech, sending me an accusing glare. "Were you waiting for him to show up?"

I scoffed and propped a foot against the wall behind me. "No, thanks. I don't care much about a loser nobody like that guy."

Ninten stiffened and narrowed his eyes, his face set into a cold scowl. "You take that back."

"I'm stating facts here," I said with a cruel smirk. I realized that I'd hit a sensitive nerve. That or Ninten really believed I've been terrorizing the nerd.

"Lloyd is actually a decent human being," Ninten said, taking slow steps towards me. "Unlike _you_."

"Oh please. Did you know that he used to hide in trash cans?" I said, adrenaline kicking up my heartbeat. I straightened up. "He knows his place well. You can learn a thing or two from him."

Ninten seemed to have finally snapped. He threw his hat and launched himself at me, screaming and yelling profanities. I braced and grabbed his collar with one hand and blocked his fist with the other. Ninten kicked out, his knee hitting my stomach hard enough to knock the wind out of me, but I kept an iron grip on the front of the boy's shirt and threw a fist upwards towards his face. With a leg sweep, I managed to wrestle him down onto the dusty ground and straddled his chest. Ninten squirmed and shot upwards, his forehead catching me in the nose. I saw stars as sharp pain forced me to instinctively scrunch my eyes shut and punch at the boy underneath me.

I suddenly felt a pair of strong arms pulling me from behind and haul me away from Ninten. I looked up to see Claus staring me down with a livid look while Lucas stood behind him with a horrified expression on his face. They must have heard the scuffle from downstairs or followed Ninten here. The tall redhead stood in the middle between me and Ninten, who sat up and shot me an enraged glare, despite quivering lips and tear-edged eyes.

"What's going on here?" Lucas said, his eyes flicking between the two of us.

"He owes me an apology," Ninten's voice cracked through clenched teeth, wiping blood off his chin.

"I got nothing to say to you," I sat up, heavily breathing.

"You do and you'll take back what you said about me and my friend _now._ "

 _"Kiss my ass."_

Ninten jumped upright and lunged at me with a scream. Claus grabbed him by the arms to stop him.

"Hey, _hey._ Calm down," he said. Ninten was full on hyperventilating through his incessant stream of hiccuping curses and furious tears. Lucas hurried and wrapped a protective arm around the shorter boy's shoulders as the latter fished around his pocket for his inhaler.

"Look, I'll deal with Ness," Claus said as Lucas guided Ninten away from me. "Just, let's get you out of here, all right?"

"I'll walk him home," Lucas said, picking up the discarded hat and putting it sloppily on Ninten's disheveled head, then walked with him back into the school building. Claus made sure to close the door after them, before heading back to me.

"Ugh, that'll leave a bruise," I muttered, spitting dust and checking my nose for blood. Thankfully, there was none. "Little twerp hits hard."

"All right, what the hell's gotten into you?" Claus hissed at me and kicked my shin. I let out an undignified yelp.

"Ow. He started it," I said in a petulant whine.

"No, he didn't. Let me guess, he ran into you and you somehow riled him up and picked a fight with him."

I gave Claus a flat look, then slowly clapped my hands. "Good job, Sherlock. Think about joining the police someday?"

"I'm serious. Why did you pick a fight with Ninten this time?"

"Pff, what are you now, the school counselor?"

"Ness, so help me God I'll kick your ass myself."

"Okay, maybe I went a little overboard—"

"A _little_? Look, you're going to apologize to him and take back whatever you said to him."

"Hell no. Why should I?"

"Have you seen him? You beat him up and made him cry."

I shrugged. "Not my fault he's a wuss."

" _Ness!_ "

"Look, I know you're soft for Ninten ever since that PE thing—"

"Don't even think about making it sound like it's about me."

"All right, all right." I felt indignant under Claus's threatening glare. I couldn't help but feel as if Ninten was stealing the twins from me. "Go be all buddies with Ninten instead. I don't care."

Claus sighed and crouched to meet me at eye level.

"Hey, you know I'm still your friend," Claus said, his voice softening. "I don't have to choose between either you or him. This is so unlike you. Why do you hate Ninten so much?"

"…" I looked down and bit my lip, refusing to meet Claus's eyes. I didn't want to dwell on that particular question for too long, simply because I couldn't come up with a concrete reason to hate Ninten. It just felt right. Nevertheless, my mind began making up possible excuses on its own.

 _Because I hate his stupid smirk._

 _Because I can't figure him out._

I briefly thought about the time he talked to me after baseball practice.

… _Because he has an amazing smile._

I almost choked at the thought. Ninten's headbutt probably crossed some wires. I don't really think that, do I?

"At any rate, you're going to man up and apologize to Ninten tomorrow, you hear?" Claus said, standing up. "And I'll show up at your place first thing in the morning just to make sure you do."

"Wuh-what? Hey!" I nearly choked on my spit for the second time in a row and looked up, but Claus had already left.


	3. Chapter 3: Making Amends

**Hello. I'm soo sorry for going AWOL for so long. m(_ _)m I** **had this other fanfic draft that I began filling out and I tried juggling it with writing this one. Being the scatterbrain that I am, the plan didn't go so well and productivity hit a wall. Anyway, here is the new chapter. :D**

 **PS: I saw this awesome fanart on the internet and couldn't help but use it as this story's cover. I couldn't trace it to the original artist though. Does anybody know so I can ask/beg whoever made this to let me keep it as cover art?**

 **Review Responses**

 **Ur awesome:** I know right? Somebody's gotta give those two adorable bois some love. True, Ninten is awesome and Ness is a total jerk but we have the twins to stop Ness from being such a butt.

 **Speen** : Thank you so much. :D I'm really happy you like the characters' personalities. Giving everyone a reason to like/hate Ninten was tougher than I thought because Ninten is relatively a flat character in the game, and I have to write his personality completely from scratch while using the Mother novel as a crutch. Thanks again. I'll try to keep my updates consistent. ^_^

* * *

Chapter 3 - Making Amends

When Claus said he'd show up first thing in the morning, he really meant it. The very next day, Claus appeared in my room at 6 o'clock on the nose.

"Rise and shine, princess!" Claus barked. He yanked the sheets off my prone form.

"Ngggh—" I let out a groan akin to a dying horse, then curled into a fetal position and slid the pillow over my head.

Claus gripped the pillow and wrestled it out of my hands. "I said, rise… and… _shine._ "

"Come _on_ , what time is it?" I slurred, barely coherent. I half sat up and lifted bleary eyes at Claus, who chucked the pillow behind his back.

"It's time-to-get-up o'clock," Claus said with a grin. He looked perfectly alert and groomed in this ungodly hour as if the concept of sleep was utterly beneath him.

I, on the other hand, must have looked like a mess. Drooping eyelids crusted with sleep underneath a tousled mop of black hair. I wiped a thin trail of drool on my chin and sighed as a headache began to throb in between my eyes.

"How did you get in here?" I said, irritation seeping into my voice. I glanced at the bedside clock then groaned again. "It's not even my time to wake up."

"I walked in through the back entrance," Claus said with a casual shrug as if he didn't break into my house before the sun came up. "And no, today this _is_ your time to wake up. Come on, out of bed you lazy slob."

"Go away. I still have time to sleep," I waved him off, reaching for the removed covers.

"Uh, uh, uh." Claus swiped the sheets out of reach. "Guess I'll take matters into my own hands then."

"What? WAIT CLAUS, NO!" I let out an embarrassingly high-pitched squeal when the crazy redhead grabbed me by the back with one hand, slid an arm under my knees and lifted me bodily out of bed. He whisked me down the room bridal style all the way to the door then dropped me to my feet.

"Dang, you're heavy," he said, cracking his neck. "You better lay off the hamburgers."

I only glared daggers at him. Claus flashed me a smug smile.

"Awake now?"

 _"No thanks to you."_

"Great," he beamed. "Now go get dressed, I'll be downstairs. Don't take too long."

"Ugh."

I took my sweet time getting ready just to spite Claus. I brushed my teeth until my gums hurt and even took a shower despite the chill outside. The house heating was turned off so the shower felt like getting pricked by a thousand icy needles. I dried up and put on my everyday clothes, then checked the clock again. Good, I'd stretched my morning routine by a good half an hour because screw Claus and his self-righteous sense of justice.

The redhead in question sat on the couch downstairs, toying with the dog's fur. The elderly dog, King, slept on the couch with his head resting against Claus's thigh.

"I swear King's totally a dog version of you," Claus said, petting the lazy sheepdog.

"Hilarious." I rolled my eyes. It was too early for me to come up with witty comebacks. Claus raised an expectant eyebrow.

"Ready to go?" he asked. I shook his head.

"Why the rush? At least let me have breakfast."

Claus checked the wall clock. "Hm, we do have a lot of time before school starts."

I threw him a dirty look for the second time this morning. "Gee, I wonder why."

"Welp, I'll be on breakfast duty then. I hope your mom doesn't mind me cooking," Claus said. King's head flopped bonelessly on the couch as Claus rose up and padded towards the kitchen.

"Wait. You're cooking?" I followed him. "Mom won't let me touch the stove."

"I'm sure she knows I'm more responsible than you are," Claus said. He already began rummaging through the fridge, fishing out a handful of eggs, a carton of milk and a stick of butter at once. "You like omelets? Mom's recipe."

I shrugged. "Sure, why not."

I leaned over a kitchen counter and folded my arms as I watched Claus get down to business. I couldn't boil water without screwing it up somehow, so Claus looked like a pro chef as he buzzed around the kitchen, making short, but careful work out of the ingredients. A few minutes later, Claus set down two plates containing mouthwatering-looking omelets. He placed a knife and fork on the side of each plate and laid down a piece of toast next to the eggs.

"Alright, let's dig in," Claus said. I sat across from him and took out a forkful. I closed my eyes and let out a rapturous "Mmmm" at the silky texture and rich taste.

"Oh man," I said around a mouthful before swallowing. "I don't mind you coming over every morning if you're cooking. This omelet is insane."

"Glad you like it," Claus said, then pointed his fork at me. "But that's just a one-off thing. You do remember why I'm here, right?"

I stared down at my food. I was hoping Claus wouldn't bring that up so soon. "Yeah, I do."

"Good, and also you're doing the dishes."

"Agh, just put it in the dishwasher."

"Oh, you have one?" Claus looked towards the counter behind me where there was indeed a dishwasher sitting underneath.

I took another bite out of my omelet and grumpily glared. "Spoilsport."

The walk to school was mostly silent. I simply dreaded everything to come. Beginning with Claus forcing me to cough up an apology to Ninten, then I would have to put up with a passive-aggressive Lucas. I could bet yesterday's scuffle warranted the silent treatment the younger twin adopted whenever he was 'sore at Ness'. I prayed Kumatora never saw me with Porky yesterday, or Lucas's bitchy demeanor would be the least of my problems.

I didn't notice Claus had stopped in the meantime, so I snapped out of my thoughts when I bumped into the ginger's back. Looking up, I realized we were already at the school gate.

"Here we are. Ready to make amends?" Claus said. I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed.

"Let's just get this over with."

Claus guided me through the school building towards Ninten's locker. Ninten stood there with his back to us. When Claus called at Ninten and the latter turned around, I involuntarily winced. Now that his injuries took their time to swell, Ninten sported a very visible shiner under one eye and a scabbed-over lip. He wore a ridiculous bright red neckerchief in an attempt to cover the finger-mark bruises on his neck.

As I approached him, I felt my heart beat faster and a feeling of dread pooling in my stomach like tar. I briefly considered bailing on the whole thing, then remembered that I walked next to Claus, the worst person to run away from. Easily half a foot taller and incidentally the school's track star. I decided not to let any emotion show, hiding all conflicting feelings behind a stiff face.

Ninten's good eye widened in surprise when he saw me. "Wow, Claus. You really weren't kidding when you said he'll come around."

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" I said, sending Claus a look.

"Go on," Claus said, ignoring my remark. "I think you had something to say to Ninten here?"

Claus set the whole thing up, didn't he? I glared at a point above Ninten, intent on not meeting the boy's gaze.

"Okay, my bad I totally kicked your ass—"

Claus elbowed me in the ribs. Hard. A pained yelp escaped my throat as I clutched my abused side.

"Oops. That came out wrong," Claus said to Ninten with a chuckle. "I think Ness meant something else. You know, with remorse, eye contact and all."

"Hey. No fair," I whined. Claus cast me an icy glare that promised a world of hurt.

"Less yapping, more apologizing!"

My nostrils flared as I took a deep breath and gingerly faced Ninten, who looked at me with an unreadable expression. I forced myself to actually look at him, which proved to be a daunting task. I took in the scratches, the ugly bruises on Ninten's face and arms from when he tried to shield his head while I pinned him down and pounded at him.

The rooftop fight was little more than a one-sided beatdown, and Ninten didn't deserve it one bit, didn't he?

I opened mouth in an attempt to voice a sentence, but my voice failed to come out. I opened and closed my mouth then I pursed my lips. Ninten didn't say anything, merely fixing me with that even, opaque look. Claus stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"All right, I'll leave you two to sort it out," he said, walking away. "Later."

I paid him no mind and for some reason, I knew he would stay within earshot to make sure another fight didn't break out. I stayed silent as my eyes remained fixated on Ninten's as if trying to telepathically tell him something. Anything.

"I'm sorry. I take back everything I said yesterday," I finally gritted out. "I didn't mean what I said and I…"

Damn it. The words died in my throat again.

"That's it?" Ninten said. "I expected you to say something less… underwhelming."

I bristled, feeling my face heat up. Even though he had to glance upwards to meet my eyes, I felt like being stared down by someone twice my size.

"I know," I snapped, breaking eye contact. "Look, I just don't know what to say. I didn't mean for the fight to happen."

What was I saying? I _wanted_ that fight. But now that it had happened, I wasn't sure anymore. Ninten's gaze still bore holes into my head.

"Do you know what people usually say when they meet a new person?" Ninten said. My eyes snapped back to him.

"They greet each other and what not." He said, his face and tone remained serene, yet balling his hands into white-knuckled fists. "They don't make enemies out of them on sight. I don't know how or why I pissed you off, but you sure had a bone to pick with me the minute you saw me."

I stared back with owlish eyes. I wanted to give him a reason, but my thoughts failed me. A lousy first impression, maybe? That thought seemed incredibly stupid.

"Not only that, but you went after Lloyd just because I became friends with him." Anger briefly flashed underneath his blank face. "Did you hurt him just to get to me?"

"Whoa, whoa," I said, placing two palms in front of me. "There must be some misunderstanding here. I've never even talked to the kid."

"Forgive me for not believing you." Ninten crossed his arms. "I saw Lloyd with ink spilled all over him yesterday, and he wouldn't tell me who'd done it."

Oh. That's what Porky meant by 'putting a little color' on someone. That fat douche.

"Usually he'd end up hiding in the roof, but I ran into you instead," Ninten continued, quirking an eyebrow and pointed at his face. "He told me to mind my own problems after he saw this. He probably thinks I'm being bullied too. He's kind of right, don't you think?"

Yikes. No wonder Ninten thought I was harassing Lloyd. I even contemplated something like it yesterday.

"I promise it wasn't me," I said. "Porky is the one who's been giving your friend hell for a while."

Ninten remained quiet. At that moment, the bell rang. He glanced at a point to his right then looked back at me.

"You have no idea how much I want to punch your face in right now," he said. "But I promised the twins that I won't. Guess I'll accept your non-apology then."

He pushed past me and walked away. I stood in the rapidly-emptying hallway, gawking like an idiot at his receding back.

Way to be pathetic, Ness.

* * *

As I expected, Lucas dished out the silent treatment. He kept his eyes on his book as I plopped on the seat next to him. I studied his impassive face for a few minutes. He didn't seem to acknowledge my existence.

"We've been there before," I said. "So I'll just hang around until you're ready to talk to me, sounds good?"

No answer. Disinterested blue eyes kept skimming the book in his hand.

"Have it your way," I said with a sigh. "Just to let you know, I did apologize so everything should be fine and dandy."

Lucas didn't respond. I puffed a cheek and ignored him as well, choosing to focus on class for a change. I snuck a peek at Ninten, who whispered something to Lloyd. The pasty nerd tensed up and threw Ninten a worried look from behind his thick glasses. Huh.

* * *

Once class ended, Ninten sprung out of his seat and shot out of class. He left his belongings and a stunned Lloyd in his wake. I stood up and followed behind at a leisurely pace as he zipped down the hallway and disappeared behind a corner. I rounded that corner just in time to see a furious Ninten shoving Porky against the lockers in a nearly comical sight— a scrawny kid barely weighing 90 pounds soaking wet cornering an enormous, well-known bully. I wasn't sure how Porky wasn't pushing up daisies after Kumatora heard him talk about her dads.

I barely heard Ninten tell Porky something about leaving Lloyd alone once I came within earshot.

"Or what?" Porky shot back as a crowd began to form around them. "You think you can run away from me, Wheezes?"

Ninten shoved him one more time. "I can outrun you with two broken legs, dumbass. Like I said, if you ever bother him again, I'll deflate you."

Porky loomed over Ninten, apparently emboldened by Ninten's diminutive stature and the banged-up state of his face, courtesy of yours truly.

"Push me again and I'll crush you pipsqueak," Porky said, shoving Ninten back and sending him stumbling back a step.

Ninten glared at him for a second, then retorted with a headbutt not unlike the one he gave me yesterday. The force of it was enough to knock Porky's head back against the lockers, eliciting a few Oohs from the onlooking crowd.

"You… I won't forget this," Porky said in a slurred voice and groaned as he clutched his now-bleeding mouth. He staggered away and turned back to level Ninten a hate-filled glare. Ninten watched him waddle down the hallway as the mob of onlooking kids quickly dispersed before a teacher would show up. I turned away and headed back to class. I almost pitied Porky a little — Ninten had a mean headbutt, and I could say that from firsthand experience.

* * *

A week later, Lucas finally broke his obnoxious silence. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw him standing behind me after I took out my bag from the locker for the last time this week.

"All right," he began as if he had just heard what I've been saying for days. "If you say everything between you and Ninten is fine, then you won't mind having him come over to the treehouse."

"Have him what? Are you out of your _mind?_ "

"Kumatora might show up too," Lucas interrupted me before I protested further. He leaned towards me and gave me a mischievous grin. "She didn't see you with Pokey the other day when he badmouthed her parents, so don't worry."

I winced and swore to myself. He saw me sitting next to Porky back then, didn't he?

"So you're telling me that I should behave in front of Ninten today or you'll have your girlfriend snap me in half," I said in a defeated tone.

Lucas squirmed and became the color of a bad sunburn. "True, save for the girlfriend part," he said. "S-she's just a friend."

"Yeah, yeah. Potato-potahto," I said. He shoved his hand into my face. I tried licking and biting at his palm, but Lucas rubbed his now spit-laden hand all over my face. We playfully swatted at each other before it became too ridiculous. He withdrew his hand and leaned back against the locker. We were silent for a few moments, grinning at each other like a pair of buffoons as if the past week's silence never happened. My smile gradually faded, replaced by a bemused expression.

"Why?" I asked.

Lucas lifted his head. "Hm?"

"The treehouse is our own thing. We never let anyone in there, so why invite Ninten of all people?"

He put a finger on his chin in thought. "Hmmm. I think I know you both, and I believe you two can be great friends."

"Nah. Ninten and I are like oil and water. We just don't mix," I said, awkwardly scratching the back of my head. The last time I spoke to Ninten, he said he wanted to punch me. What sort of friendship did Lucas think could be possible between me and that guy?

"You don't really know that. Just give it a shot for me. Please?"

"Ugh. Fine, but you're not going to make me sit next to him."

* * *

After school, I dropped my bag off at home and headed straight to the treehouse. Not out of eagerness, but I figured I'd better get this crap over with quickly. The twins better have something to do in mind, because if they intend on making us stare at each other, I'll abandon them and never come back.

The treehouse was well-hidden under a huge tree a few hundred yards behind the twins' house. Their dad, Flint, made it as a summer project back when their mom was alive. When Hinawa passed away of leukemia a few years ago, Flint had a nasty episode of drunken negligence. The twins hid in that treehouse most of that time until their father managed to pick himself up. I hung out all the time there with them, sneaking in snacks and card games. So many nostalgic memories came to be associated with the tiny treehouse, happy and otherwise. A wistful smile found itself on my face once I saw the rickety wooden building. It seemed smaller with each passing year.

I heard a couple of semi-identical voices inside.

"Pass the cable, Luke." I heard Claus's voice coming from behind the treehouse, then I heard something click. "There we go."

"Will it work?" Lucas said. "That thing is so old I doubt it's completely fixed."

"Lloyd fixed it for us," Claus said. I heard a thud as he hopped inside through the back window. "The kid's a genius, so it gotta work."

"Are you sure you're not just taking Ninten's word for it?"

"Maybe? Look, this whole thing is your idea. Don't get cold feet on me now."

"Yeah, you're right. We all agreed on this."

"Eh, anything to help Ness get over whatever stick he's got up his ass about Ninten. It's seriously getting on my nerves."

Hey!

I must have said that out loud because the door opened and revealed the curious pair of twins staring back.

"You're early," they said in a disturbing twin unison. I pushed them aside and walked in.

"I'm exactly on time," I said gruffly before noticing a TV set sitting in the corner of the treehouse. "What's that?" I asked.

"A TV," Claus said. "It's a thing you can watch stuff and play games on it."

I threw him a blank stare. "Thanks, genius. I mean what's it doing here? There's nowhere to plug it in and the treehouse is a bit too far from your house."

"Ah, that." Claus gestured to the window. "We grabbed a generator from the attic and got someone to fix it."

I looked out the window where a decrepit gasoline generator sat a few feet away. A worn cord snaked out from it and disappeared behind the old TV.

"Man, it looks ancient," I said. "Are you sure this thing won't blow up?"

"That's what I told Claus," Lucas said, shuffling his feet. "Dad doesn't even know we took it out."

"We'll find out if it's gonna explode soon enough," Claus said with a devilish grin. "Ninten and Kuma should be here any time now."

* * *

Guess who sat next to me in the treehouse.

Sandwiched between Ninten and Kumatora, I threw the twins across the cramped space of the treehouse a betrayed look. I love you guys, but this is too much.

Kumatora sat cross-legged on the floor while Ninten folded his legs underneath him like a proper Dalaamian lady during a tea ceremony. I tried copying his pose, but I lost feeling below my knees after a few minutes.

I ignored the numb feeling, instead glaring back at the twins. "Just act civil," Lucas had told me when Ninten and Kumatora showed up. I wonder if ignoring their existence counted as being civil in his book.

"Did you bring the game, Kuma?" Lucas asked.

Kumatora grinned and gave him a thumbs up. "Sure did."

Claus grinned back. "Awesome. Let's get this hunk-a-junk running"

I watched Claus hop out to start the generator while Lucas bent under the TV to fish out a brand spanking new SNES that I didn't notice sitting underneath the TV. Earlier, Ninten dumped a bag filled to the brim with snacks when he arrived and handed the twins an extra controller. Are we playing video games?

"Am I the only one who had no idea why we're here?" I said. "And if so, why am _I_ here?"

Kumatora took out a cartridge from her jacket and tossed it at my head. I fumbled with it and barely avoided it hitting my forehead. Upon close inspection, the label had the face of a famous Mariners player with a large banner reading 'MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL' next to him.

"Can't have a virtual baseball game without our baseball captain," she smirked then nodded at Ninten. "Although I heard you faced quite the competition."

"What competition?" I said and pointed at Ninten. " _Him?_ He just lucked out the other day."

"Please," Ninten said. "You couldn't get stopped on the highway with that pitching of yours."

I narrowed my eyes. This won't be a repeat of the other day's baseball practice. "Bring it."

…

I got 18 runs. 20-2.

"HELL YEAH!" I pumped a fist in the air as the screen showed the Giants dominating the stupid team Ninten picked.

"Tch. I just picked the Dodgers out of spite," Ninten said then pointed the controller at me. "I want a rematch."

"You're on," I said, flashing him a smug grin.

"No Giants though," Ninten said. "We're sticking with other teams."

The original plan was for everyone to play a match, but Ninten refused to let it go until he could — and I quote — "wipe the floor with Ness's face." Biggest joke of the century. Kumatora and Claus started placing bets on who would win a match and Lucas reluctantly joined in. We ended up playing half a dozen matches with Ninten sorely losing. With each match, Ninten seemed to better get the hang of the game and managed to score a few more innings. A match later, he seemed to gain the upper hand before the generator out back let out a ghastly hack and sputtered to a halt. A second later, the TV screen went blank.

Ninten shrieked. "No, I was winning this time."

Claus stood and went to the window. "I better go take a look. It could've blown up."

"I didn't get to play," Kumatora said, "But man, was it fun watching you guys duke it out."

"Sorry we ate all the snacks while watching," Lucas said, shaking the emptied bag.

"Hmph," Ninten crossed his arms and pouted. "Ness lucked out because that stupid generator died on me when _I_ was winning."

"Look who's now talking about lucking out," I said, enjoying Ninten's put-out expression. "Next time I'll show you I don't need luck."

Ninten nodded and sent me a look that clearly read 'Bring it on.' I smirked back, reveling in the rush of getting even for the other day's baseball practice. Maybe I could get him to practice pitching with me again to _really_ see who was better at baseball.

My smirk faltered a bit. Since when was I okay with Ninten's company?

Huh. I could be coming down with something.


	4. Chapter 4: Veggie Batteries & Explosions

**A/N: AND AS YOU CAN SEE, I AM NOT DEAD!** **ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ**

 **I wrote a chapter all the way back in March, but my computer decided to derp and I lost everything on it. Then I lost the will to write in the few months that followed. I saw a couple _really_ good fics out there, especially Icarus by D0ubleFelix. It's another NintenXNess which reminded me that, Hey! I still have a story to tell.**

 **Review Responses: (even tho I doubt you guys remember what you said lol)**

 **Filletmyingyawn492:** lol of course. Porky getting his butt whooped is my version of comic relief. I am trying to make this story's atmosphere sound as 90s as possible even though I don't remember that decade because I was too busy costing my parents a fortune in diapers. I'm happy you noticed this anyhoo :)

 **Ur awesome:** Ninten/Lloyd is lowkey my favorite friendship in the whole Mother series haha. And Ness didn't catch the gay just yet. Or maybe he had but he's too stubborn to notice that little fact. Sorry for writing another late update but hope you'd read this if you're still around here.

 **Speen:** Thanks! I appreciate your comments. :D Writing the other characters, I try to make Lloyd as Ninten's friend and the twins as Ness's moral compass even though I don't know how guys sort their friendships because I'm an only child and I don't have old enough male cousins ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ I just hope that their development isn't too sluggish. It feels like it to me but it could just be me reading this story ages since I last updated it. I hope you'll like this update just as much as the previous chapters. ^_^

 **RainyTazmily:** Oh boy! A review from PKTofuMaster! Well, now you're RainyTazmily but the point is, I'm honored you took the time to review since I really like your fics. :D I don't put a ton of thought into my chapter titles (like, this chapter sounded funnier in my head, I know) but the first chapter title meant: Trust Your Instincts, but... those instincts are giving really mixed signals. I knooooow. :( Every single possible romance trope or clichè has been written already and they're a dime a dozen. But Clichès and tropes be damned. They won't stop me from having my characters thrive and making my ship sail. This is my first fic after all so I'm entitled to making it corny. Not everyone can have that luxury. :D

* * *

Chapter 4 - Veggie Batteries & Explosions

I missed my alarm this morning. I blearily looked at the bedside clock to find its arms pointing out that I had less than 15 minutes to get ready.

As if burned, I shot out of bed in a dazed panic, got out of the room and banged my fist a couple times on Tracy's door to wake her up and went back to my room. I tossed off my pajamas as I threw open my wardrobe and grabbed the first clean-smelling T-shirt and shorts. I made my way downstairs, wondering why Mom didn't wake us up like usual.

I found her sleep-crashed on the couch. She must have stayed out late at work. Again.

Mom juggled two jobs; an editor at the local newspaper during the day, and recently she took up one more during the evening. With Onett being a tiny town, the only job at odd hours she'd found was an ER receptionist at the town hospital. She often came back late, and she would throw herself on the couch and fall asleep right there before waking up to drive Tracy to school and trudge to her day job. Rinse and repeat.

I tiptoed into the kitchen and grabbed a piece of toast and slathered it with peanut butter. I was about to bite into my quick breakfast before I heard Tracy storming down the stairs, thoroughly pissed and her bed hair strewn across her face like the snakes on Medusa's head.

"Ness, why didn't—" She began, then paused once she saw Mom's sleeping form. She deflated. "Oh."

"Shh." I placed a finger on my lips. I looked back at Mom to see her now-awake but tired blue eyes staring up at me.

"Whuttimeisit," Mom mumbled in an attempt to ask for the time.

"Morning," I replied, wrapping my sandwich in tissue paper then glanced at the wall clock. "Sorry we woke you up. It's seven fifty o'clock."

"Seven _-what?_ " Mom scrambled out of the couch in a way not too unlike how I woke up minutes before. "How come I didn't wake up earlier?" She grabbed her keys from the table and threw them to me. "Get in the car and start it. I'll drive you two to school."

I sighed and went into the chilly garage. I got into the driver's seat, inserted the key into the car and turned it. The old clunker sputtered into life, its engine filling the garage with a loud revving and a mild smell of gasoline as it warmed in the frigid morning air. It was one of those old Chevies that still had a bench seat in the front. I scooted across the seat just in time for mom to get in. Tracy followed her a moment later.

The three of us spent the ride in silence - we all looked awful and half-awake. I winced when Mom tailgated another car and honked to get its driver to speed up a little. Mom has never been the best driver when it was stupid o'clock _and_ in a hurry. We were late anyway so speeding wouldn't help now.

"Why were you late last night, mom?" Tracy said, breaking the silence. I threw her a glare despite her innocuous tone.

"Boy, where do I begin." Mom chuckled tiredly and ran a hand through her hair. "The hospital had an interesting visitor last night."

"How so?" Tracy said, tilting her head to the side.

"An old man came in half an hour before my shift ended completely under the belief he was having a heart attack," Mom said, sharply rounding the corner into the main street. "He turned out to be my boss's former boss back when he worked in Podunk at their local newspaper. He recognized me somehow and refused any treatment unless I was around him."

"Yikes. Sounds like a handful," I said before I bit into my peanut butter toast.

"Oh, it wasn't too bad. He had his grandson with him. Poor sweetheart kept apologizing all the time and he distracted his grandfather long enough for me to finally squeeze away."

"Aww, how nice of him," Tracy said.

"He was," Mom said, pulling over in front of my school. "I have a few choice words for the editor-in-chief, though. I didn't know George was alive and lived around here in the first place."

I finished the last bite of my toast and got out of the car. I waved back in a rushed goodbye before breaking into a sprint to catch the first period.

* * *

The class looked on with curiosity when the chipper chemistry teacher walked in with a peculiar bowl containing slips of paper. She set the bowl on her desk, then announced that we're going to do group projects for the week.

The collective groans and gripes stood testament to our overflowing enthusiasm as she drew our names from the bowl. I didn't end up with Lucas or Claus, because my luck is crap and Claus wasn't even in our class. I didn't end up with Ninten either, because I didn't think God hated me that much.

Instead, I was assigned to work with Lloyd. The pastiest recluse of Northern Eagleland. The kid was alright, but he had an aura of being unstable. Not to mention the lack of any friends besides Ninten. Well, if Ninten could befriend this guy, it shouldn't be a problem for me.

I looked with envy at Lucas, who was lucky enough to be partnered with Jeff. That guy had some charm and was respectably popular despite the enormous glasses and having double the cumulative IQ of the whole school. I just didn't get the bowl haircut.

The class shuffled and rearranged so that each duo shared a bench together. I grabbed the card the teacher set on the bench and read today's likely randomly selected task, which read in one succinct sentence:

'Construct a battery: _Galvanize_ your creativity into generating electricity!'

I rolled my eyes at the stupid pun and handed the card to Lloyd.

"A battery?" I scoffed. "What's next? Solve the world's energy crisis?" I shot a look at Lloyd, who just shrugged. Not much of a talker, huh?

"How about we just stick a nail and a penny in a potato and light a light bulb with it?" I said to Lloyd. "I saw something like it on TV once."

Lloyd didn't say anything, choosing to stare at me with a wide-eyed look one would see on a trapped animal or someone being mugged. If not for the fact that I'd heard him talk to Ninten before, I would've assumed he was mute. The teacher happened to overhear me.

"Ness, care to share your thoughts with us?"

Put on the spot, I couldn't come up with a plausible excuse, so I felt like a complete moron repeating myself to her in front of everyone. At least it looked like she liked the idea.

"That's an amazing idea," she said, clapping her hands in delight. "Write about that in tomorrow's report."

I blanched. "There's going to be a report too?"

The teacher nodded then returned to her desk, but not before turning back to me and saying 'veggie power' while pumping her fist.

"Ugh." I hid my face in my hands. "Sorry," I said to Lloyd, who gave me a tight-lipped smile.

"It's fine," he finally spoke to me for the first time, then bent down to open the drawer beneath the bench. I noticed a pair of honey-brown eyes watching me intently from across the lab. I met Ninten's gaze and furrowed my eyebrows at him. He was partnered with Ana. Total babe, but kinda preachy. I didn't miss the little smiles and looks she kept sneaking his way whenever he looked away.

Gross.

I took a step back while watching Lloyd fish out a flask full of sulfuric acid and pour its contents into a glass beaker. I'm positive that the teacher made us break at least a dozen safety regulations. One nasty spill was all it would take for a pasty nerd and a dashing young man to end up disfigured for life. I shot a glance at Lucas, who also watched Jeff work at a safe distance.

"Yo, Lucas. What are you guys making?" I called across the lab a bit louder than necessary. I bit back a snicker when Lloyd flinched, almost dropping the acid beaker.

"Ice-cream," Lucas yelled back just as loudly. "Want some?"

"Sure. Is it any good?"

"It's melt-your-face-off good."

Teacher threw me an annoyed glare. "I will not tolerate loud talking in my lab. You two keep your voices down or you'll face detention."

Sheesh. She's fine with having a bunch of teens screw around tubs of corrosive acid with no protective gear whatsoever. Holler at a buddy across the room and she'd lose her mind. Turning my attention back to my gray-haired partner, he hooked up a light bulb to two metal bars sticking out of the acid beaker. With a push of a key, the light bulb lit up with a decent glow.

After class, I lingered behind as Lloyd took apart the gizmo and put away the hazardous substance. To his credit, nobody got acid in their face for today.

"Shouldn't we get that report over with?" I told him. "I'm sure even you'd rather do better things than writing about batteries."

"Um, it's okay. I can finish it during lunch." Lloyd shifted his weight uncomfortably, firmly planting his gaze on his shoes. If he didn't think I was some dumb jock, I'll eat my hat.

"What? No, you don't have to do my work for me. I promise I'm not as stupid as I look."

Lloyd pursed his lips to keep from smiling but didn't say anything.

"No objections then? Good, I'll see you after school, okay?" I said, patting his back then left the lab.

* * *

Last-period math felt like an eternity, especially since I've had a bit too much orange juice during lunch, and the teacher never let anyone use the toilet during her class. She would always say "You had a whole lunch break to do your business, young man" in that prissy voice of hers. As if we could control when we needed to go for a piss.

I spent the rest of the period wriggling in my seat and not paying much attention to whatever she scribbled on the blackboard. When the bell finally rang, I hurriedly gathered my stuff and rushed out of class. I had nothing but the school restroom in my tunnel-vision. I barged into one of the cubicles, and after a few minutes, I emerged with a relieved sigh, walking a little taller and feeling lighter on my feet.

As I washed my hands, a glimpse of a red hoodie hunched just above the grimy floor shifted in my peripheral vision. The boys' bathroom was a dimly lit L-shaped room with the shorter end of the L-shape containing a cubicle largely obscured from view. I dried my hands and peeked at the corner. Whoever wore the red hoodie sat on the floor with his knees drawn to his chest next to an overturned trash can. Filthy tissue papers and other garbage littered the floor and clung to the kid's clothes and grayish-white hair.

"Lloyd?" I called out. He flinched and lifted his head, causing a few clumps of tissue paper to drop to the floor. He squinted down at a spot behind me as if expecting someone else to come up. A few ugly cuts and welts marred the skin above his eyebrow and on his cheek. His glasses were missing as if someone had clawed them right off his face. The kid was probably lucky his eye remained in its socket.

"Oh," Lloyd sheepishly waved a hand. "Hey, Ness."

"Who did this to you?" I asked. Lloyd's surprised expression fell halfway into a deadpan at my question. It would've looked hilarious if he didn't look like a car ran him over. In hindsight, it sounded really dumb. Who else would ambush the poor kid in the school toilets but a certain portly scumbag?

"You should get out of this dump, or you'll catch a disease. How long have you been sitting down here?"

"Before last period rang," he said. "I think the school should be letting out now."

"You've been here for an _hour?_ " I said, horrified and incredulous. He drew his knees closer to his chest as if embarrassed by that little fact. It was an impressive feat he wasn't in tears already.

"I can't see really well without my glasses," he said, rubbing the bridge of his nose where the round glasses normally rested. "And I don't want to fall down the stairs or trip on something."

"Oh man," I took off my hat and ran a hand through my hair. The whole scene looked achingly pitiful, like an abandoned puppy, even though Lloyd appeared mostly calm and composed. I walked over to him and extended a hand. "Let me walk you to the bus stop then."

I grabbed his arm and helped him up on his feet. He obediently let himself be led out of the toilets and out of school. His jerky, graceless steps hinted at other bruises probably littering his body under that hoodie. Porky must have roughed him up good.

"I had no idea it was that bad," I said. "Are you okay?"

Lloyd's eyebrows rose slightly. "I'm fine," he said with a small smile. "Thank you for asking."

"Why don't you tell your parents about this?" I asked, knitting my eyebrows. "Or the teachers?"

"They told me I ought to grow a spine and stand up for myself more," he said in a matter-of-fact tone as if he'd stepped on something unpleasant rather than having gotten beaten up and left to rot in a nasty toilet. Something told me he'd been through worse. I took a brief glance at him. A shy, soft-spoken kid with a meek personality and a general air of an absent-minded nerd lingering around him like a thick cloud. He couldn't stand up against a toddler, not to mention a 200-pound sad excuse of a bully like Porky.

"It's fine, really," he said, picking up on my thoughts. "The best thing I can do is ignore it and carry on. I can wait until Pokey is bored with me. He'll move on to someone else if I put up with it."

"Here's the thing buddy," I said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It's noble of you to think that you'll tough it out through bullying and what not, but Porky would never let you go because anyone else would just simply kick his ass."

Lloyd's expression turned sour. "But I'm not 'anyone else'. Pokey put me in hospital before. Of course I'm terrified of him," he said.

"So what, you'll wait until he puts you in hospital a second time?"

"I'm used to getting picked on, so I'll be okay," he said, mustering the courage to look at me curiously with his pale, pinkish-blue eyes. They looked weaker and unfocused without his trademark glasses, like those of a red-eyed rabbit. "You never talked to me before. Why do you care all of a sudden?"

I paused for a second then threw him a pointed look. "Because I saw you stranded in a school bathroom, half-blind and with a trash can dumped over your head," I told him flatly. "I'm no angel but I knew that had I not picked you up, you would've spent the night up there."

As we came to a stop in front of the bus stop sign, I spotted a familiar insufferable neckerchief at the opposite end of the street.

"Besides, don't act like you're all alone and friendless," I told Lloyd, nodding towards Ninten as the latter drew closer in brisk steps. "You have Ninten, isn't he your friend?"

"Yes," Lloyd said, cracking a smile. "I've never had an actual friend before Ninten. I don't want to drive him away if I hid behind him whenever a bully walks by. It's my problem to deal with, not his."

"He's in no danger of that, I assure you," I said, recalled the fight Ninten had gotten himself into for this nerd's sake. "But don't take my word for it."

Lloyd's gave me a confused look before he noticed I wasn't looking at him. He followed my gaze just in time to see Ninten wedge himself in the space between the two of us.

"What happened to you?" Ninten asked, tilting Lloyd's head to examine the scratches on his face. He turned around to face me. "What's this about?"

"I found your friend perching in the boys' bathroom," I said. "Porky jumped him and stole his glasses."

Ninten knitted his eyebrow. "Is this true?"

Lloyd nodded and sighed. "Yeah. I just wanna go home now," he said, allowing Ninten to sit him down on the bench. "Please?"

I leaned against the bus stop sign, lazily observing Ninten fret and worry at every scratch or speck of dirt on Lloyd as if he'd turned into a mother hen. He barely stood taller than Lloyd, making the sight of the pair somewhat odd, but Lloyd didn't seem aware of Ninten's blatant disregard of his personal space. A minute later, the bus pulled over in front of us. Lloyd stood up and dusted himself off.

"You sure you'll be OK? Do you want me to come with you?" Ninten said, standing up as well. Lloyd shook his head as no, then his eyes widened as if he remembered something.

"Sorry about the lab report," he said, facing me. "It was in my bag and Pokey took it."

Ninten's face fell. "Wait, didn't you have–" then he trailed off. Lloyd grimaced and nodded.

"Don't worry about that now," I said, noticing the bus driver throwing us an impatient glare. "I'll get your bag from Porky before next class. You go home and rest."

Lloyd got on the bus and moments later, I watched the vehicle disappear down the main street. Ninten stared at the ground, his expression slowly shifted away from concern as his white-knuckled fists shook with barely restrained rage.

"I told that fat pig not to mess with Lloyd," Ninten said through clenched teeth. "I'll murder Porky the next time I see him, I swear."

"What was that about the bag?" I asked. "What's in it?"

"Lloyd snuck in a bottle rocket to school." Ninten nervously toyed with his neckerchief. "I told him not to bring it here, but he wanted to fire it up at the beach after school. If anyone finds out about it, he'll be in big trouble."

"Okay, so maybe Porky just left Lloyd's bag in his locker back at school?"

Ninten gave me a puzzled look. "What do you mean?"

"Look, if Porky saw that bottle rocket thing, he'd let everybody know about Lloyd bringing explosives to school," I said. "I can sneak into the school and get your buddy's stuff back before Porky looks through them tomorrow. I know the janitor – I think I can convince him to loan me his keys for a bit."

Ninten gaped. "Are you _nuts?_ What if we get busted? We'd get expelled or even arrested for breaking and entering."

"Who said anything about 'we'? I'm just going for the lab report. I never said you're coming with me."

"This isn't about your stupid homework. I'm going, all right."

He stood there, fists balled and his mouth set in a hard line. I realized there was no swaying him.

"Fine," I huffed. "But you tell anyone about this, and I'll feed you your neckerchief."

* * *

Less than half an hour later, we stood in front of the humble estate of one Lier X. Agerate. Former unemployed bum (He preferred the term 'treasure hunter') and currently the school's esteemed custodian. I knocked on the flimsy door and stepped back. A few moments later, the door opened and spilled forth the penetrating odor of garlic and dirty socks that plagued the immediate area surrounding Lier's person.

"Ness," Lier said jovially upon seeing us, "What a nice surprise. Come in, come in."

"Thanks, Mr. Agerate," I said, pasting on a sweet smile. "But I was hoping if I can borrow the school keys. My, uh, friend here forgot all of his stuff in the locker and he kinda needs them."

The mere idea of referring to Ninten as a friend made me feel queasy.

"Ahh," Lier said, scratching his stubbly chin. "I'd get you the keys, but then I'll get anxious while youse guys are out sneaking into the school. You know what I do when I get anxious, don't you?"

I caught on his drift instantly. "You smoke."

"Atta boy," Lier said, holding up a pack of cigarettes. It made a hollow sound when he tapped on it. "And I'm fresh outta smokes. I'm a chain smoker, you see. Care to loan me a few bucks so I can go buy some while you finish up your business out there?"

I wasn't about to pay his smoking money out of my own pocket. I turned to Ninten. "How about you cover the bill on this one?"

He did a double take. "Why me?"

"Because I haven't got money on me," I replied, holding out an expectant hand. "Don't be a tightwad and make yourself useful."

Not to mention that I wouldn't pay to sneak into the school _and_ that I was dirt-poor — pocket money was hard to come by and had to be strictly rationed. Ninten grumbled as he fished out a bunch of crumpled bills from his pocket and handed me a few. I stuffed the requisite money into Lier's palm, who flashed us a wolfish grin.

"Thanks, little pal," Lier said. "I'll be back with the keys in a sec."

* * *

I never thought the school would look so freaky when it was empty. The lights were out and it was approaching sunset. The scattered sunlight streaming through the thick clouds cast jarring shadows on the vacant building, making it look entirely unfamiliar. My breath came out in white little puffs, quickly dissipated by the chilly breeze as we wandered down the vacant schoolyard towards the back door.

The keychain Lier gave me had every key under the sun in it. Grimy rubber caps with half-faded labels covered each key, saving some hassle of finding the keys through trial and error. Ninten stood next to me on the narrow stairs leading to the door and peered over my shoulder with his hand resting on my back as I tried to find the right key. His touch felt like being wired to an electric fence with enough voltage to make it uncomfortable and distracting as I fumbled with the keys. I let out a curse when I dropped the keychain, but Ninten swiped it off the ground before I could pick it up. I watched as he shuffled through the keys with deft hands and pick out the proper key. Instead of handing me back the chain, he held it up by the key with a mischievous smile, his nose mere inches away from mine. Feeling my face heat up, I grabbed the key off of his hand with a gruff motion and turned the lock.

Ninten rolled his eyes at me. "You're welcome."

I barged into the building, feeling relieved that Ninten no longer crowded my personal space. I took in the deserted hallway. The school always had a dusty, sort of musty smell that was largely masked in the background of the bustle during the day, but now it permeated the still air. It still beat the biting cold outside. Once I pointed out Porky's locker, I took out the keychain and combed through it. "Okay, so there should be a master key for–"

Ninten kicked the locker door in before I could finish my sentence. "Or destroying school property. Yeah, that works," I said flatly. Ninten ignored my remark and kicked the locker once more, then swung the locker door open. It barely hung by its hinges, and the flimsy lock's deadbolt fell to the floor like a broken tooth.

"Solid kick," I quipped. "Ever thought about playing soccer?"

"I would," Ninten said, straightening his pose. "But no thanks to that prick who forced me to run laps with Claus until I had an asthma attack, I'm stuck with being a benchwarmer in PE. I joined choir club instead."

"Hm. Tough luck," I said, pretending not to pick up the insult. "Choir, huh? I don't peg you for the singing type."

Ninten flashed me his trademark smirk. "Actually, Lucas and Ana got on my case the moment they learned I quit the baseball team," he said, browsing Porky's messy locker. "I agreed so that they wouldn't dog me for the rest of the year." He picked up a worn, tan-colored rucksack. I found the pair of round glasses on the locker floor and handed the item to him.

"Bastard bent it," Ninten made a face at the crooked frame. He carefully pinched the thin metal back into shape, before he perched the glasses on his nose and looked at me. His eyes looked bigger as he blinked behind the large lenses. I struggled to keep a straight face. He looked ridiculously dorky. _Cute even,_ I thought to my horror.

"Aw, man. That made my head spin a little," Ninten said, taking off the glasses and placing them inside the bag. He rummaged through it and took out a thin, gray rocket-shaped object. The bottom had a short white fuse poking out from it, and fins made of plastic glued onto its sides.

"I don't think Porky saw this," Ninten said, examining the rocket. It looked well-made for something that was put together by a kid.

"Good," I said, trying to close the busted locker. "Now that we got everything we need let's book it out of here."

Ninten shot me an evil grin. "Wanna light it up?"

"Here? Are you crazy?" I said nervously. "Wouldn't Lloyd mind? Besides, we don't have anything to light it with."

"No, he'd absolutely love it. There should be a lighter or something in the chemistry lab," Ninten said, heading for the lab. "Come on, it'll be fun."

I followed behind in hesitant steps, even though I couldn't deny that I was vaguely interested in seeing that thing being set off. Ninten waved the contraption at me over his shoulder. "Lloyd makes those extra strong. It'll be a huge bang," he said. I took out the keychain from my pocket and fished out the lab key and unlocked the door. Inside, Ninten hurried for the window and opened it, then carefully held the rocket in the crock of his arm as he climbed out of the window onto the small clearing at the side of the school. I searched the lab cabinet for a lighter but found a matchbox instead. I grabbed it and followed Ninten out of the window. We set the rocket a few yards away from the building and crouched around it to light the fuse. I struck a match, only for the brisk wind to immediately put out the flame. I flicked away the spent match and lit another one, only for the flame to quickly dissipate in the air.

"You'll waste the whole matchbox like this," Ninten said. He took the matchbox out of my hand and held out his palm. "Give me your keys," he said. I complied and handed over the keychain. Ninten picked out a key with sharp ridges and used it to notch up little shavings around the lighting tip.

"I used to go camping or fishing with my dad back when I lived in Podunk," Ninten explained as he whittled the matchstick. "Dad did this if it got windy or if we ran low on matches so that we don't waste as much."

"Used to?" I asked. "As in, not anymore?"

Ninten stopped and went silent for a moment before he shrugged. "I live here now," he said, then struck the match. It lit up with a stronger flame that didn't go out as quickly as the previous matches. He touched it to the fuse and it ignited with sparks and a small flame. Slowly, the fire consumed the fuse before it disappeared into the cylinder. A wisp of smoke escaped the rocket after the fuse was consumed.

A moment passed and nothing happened. Our faces fell at the anticlimactic outcome.

"Aw, shucks." Ninten tipped the rocket forward with his foot to look at the base where the fuse disappeared. "It looks like this one's a dud."

Ninten barely finished his sentence before the bottle rocket flew out of the ground with an ear-splitting scream. It flew sideways and crashed through the lab window before exploding inside with a massive ball of sparks and smoke. We stood in silent dismay as we heard shelves fall, spilling their content to shatter all over the floor. Ninten grabbed my hand and bailed out of the school grounds instead of watching more destruction unfold. We made it to the main street in record time, only stopping when Ninten began wheezing and gasping for breath. I felt my pulse hammer with that awful burning feeling in my chest that happened if I ran too fast or for too long.

Ninten put down Lloyd's bag, fished his inhaler out of his pocket and took a few puffs. A solid minute went by, staring at each other with stunned expressions. Then Ninten's mouth twitched up and a small giggle escaped him. I threw him a lopsided grin before we burst into sudden, hysterical laughter.

"That was awesome," Ninten said through fits of giggles. I nodded in agreement. Sure, that thing was less of a homemade bottle rocket and more of a fricking missile. We probably destroyed the lab and could've well burned the whole damn school into the ground, but it was glorious. Surreal, but glorious.

The laughter eventually died down, and I suddenly became acutely aware of his hand's ridiculous warmth still wrapped around my own. Ninten realized the same thing as we awkwardly let go. I still felt Ninten's warm and soft grasp like a searing brand as I tried to work out what to do with my hands.

"We should get out of here. I gotta give Lloyd his things back," Ninten said a little quickly, not meeting my eyes. "Oh, and your report…"

"Uh, keep it. I don't think I'll need the report tomorrow," I said, nodding at the school's general direction. "After what just happened."

"Yeah." Ninten chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck, a tinge of color covering his usually pale cheeks. "Well, guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Sure, yeah."

He smiled and slung Lloyd's bag over his shoulder. "Bye," he said and gave me an awkward goodbye wave before turning to leave.

"Bye," I said, watching his receding back, even though he was already too far to hear.


End file.
